Lincoln Fights for Relevance, Boosts Exclusivity

New perks coming to American luxury.

With traditionally mainstream models in the Ford lineup moving upmarket, the blue oval’s luxury brand—the Lincoln Motor Company—is getting more ritzy. By now, pretty much everybody has figured out that Lincolns are Fords wearing cheap suits. You can even get a base Lincoln MKZ for cheaper than the Platinum trim of the Ford Fusion it’s based on. Although their sales numbers are just fine, Lincoln has had a bit of an identity crisis for some time now. The American luxury brand plans on fixing that by making their vehicles more of an exclusive experience.

This strategy actually started last year when Lincoln launched their pickup and delivery service for vehicle maintenance - an industry first. Right now they’re piloting programs in select US markets like at-home test drives and a mobile app that can hail a chauffeur to drive you around and even run errands in your own Lincoln. In some states, you can even get a Lincoln Date Night which includes a 24-hour test drive and a gift card. What could be more romantic?

While these may sound like gimmicky promos, they could be just what Lincoln needs right now. Ford CEO Mark Fields said that “For us at Lincoln, luxury isn’t a thing, it’s an experience.” Generic as this statement may be, that philosophy seems to be working. Lincoln is getting creative in adding new services without forgetting about the vehicles themselves. If these clever services, the new Continental, and the upcoming Navigator we saw in New York are any indication of where the brand is headed, things at Lincoln are looking alright, alright, alright.